Filmmaking Contest Returns at Santa Anita

"A Day at the Races," a joint project between Santa Anita Park and HRTV as part of the HRTV Film Festival, is returning in 2013 with a March 27 deadline for submissions.

Offering nearly $30,000 in prize money, the non-fiction film festival is for Santa Anita-based projects with a maximum running time of five minutes.

Online voting will begin March 30, and will close April 10. Winners will be announced at Santa Anita April 13. Application entries are available in-person, or online at www.hrtv.com/filmfestival. While entries are accepted online, credentials must be picked up and payment ($150 general entrant or $50 for students with ID) must be made at Santa Anita.

With judging by a panel of racing and entertainment professionals, prize money will be awarded the top five entries. First prize will be $10,000, with second prize at $5,000, while third through fifth prizes will be $3,000, $1,500, and $500, respectively. An additional $10,000 first prize will be awarded to the winner through an online poll. Entries judged to be in sixth through 10th places will receive free entry to the 2014 competition.

Each entrant will be given two film festival credentials which will allow shooting access to select public areas at Santa Anita and 10 clubhouse passes good for admission throughout Santa Anita's winter/spring meeting.

Last year, there were 25 submissions which generated more than 77,000 online votes in the Fans' Favorite category.

Tristan de Burgh and Cassandra Brooksbank, both students at the University of Southern California, took the $10,000 Judges' Prize Award with a film entitled, "Call to Arms."

Miguel Mouchess won the $10,000 Fans' Favorite Award with his entry—"A Day at the Races with the Paddock Tree Gang."

In addition, one of the 2012 Film Festival Entrant's, "Jake's Day Racing" which just missed placing in the top three, was commissioned by HRTV to be expanded to a full half-hour documentary. Renamed "HRTV Presents Chasing," the documentary on steeplechase racing and a veteran rider by veteran filmmaker Kristy Cecil premiered on the network last month.